bee creative

feildnotes #49

Cloudy morning but warm enough for tea and scones on the covered porch. 

Jam made with sour cherries and raspberries from the garden.  I've been making a small batch each week, mostly to put on yogurt.  About a pint of fruit + approximately 1/3 cup sugar or honey, the juice of half a lemon; cooked until thick.  Definitely not appropriate to process.

I didn't go to the farmer's market today.  There are more berries, cherries, lettuce and peas in the garden. And a few new potatoes, carrots, some cauliflower, plus a little bit of this and that left from last week. 

Steady rain most of the day meant inside projects.

Sorting through years worth of knit and crochet magazines, keeping only patterns that I really think I might make. 

Cleaning up small scraps by piecing them together.  These are all scraps left over from making clothing.

Mending really. 

 

fieldnotes #48

The weather has cooled considerably, back down to the low 70's (around 20 C).  I'm ready for the next "heat wave." Two pairs of Pants No. 1 by 100 Acts of Sewing are done. They are great with my tank tops, short and dress length and of course Dress No. 2. 

It would be safe to think that I didn't have a garden the way I fill a basket at the market. Today's purchases: zucchini, cucumber, cherry tomatoes (the first!), broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, new potatoes, onions, cherries, strawberries and a rhubarb danish.  And basil plants.

In the garden there are all kinds of herbs to harvest, garlic, raspberries, the first of the blueberries, the occasional strawberry, lettuce, peas, Swiss chard and sour cherries.

In another month there should be zucchini and tomatoes.  One of the cucumbers is about to bloom. It's the difference of a green house and micro climates. 

Shopping at the farmer's market is really more about getting fruits and vegetables ahead of when they are ready in my garden, getting enough of something to preserve (cucumbers for pickles), or things that I don't have the room for or struggle to grow well (corn!).

First sighting of baby deer for the year on Friday...at the bus stop.  So sweet but worrisome too.  This is an area with a lot of traffic. 

A little further down the street two blue herons flew over.  It's wild out there... 

 

 

 

 

multipurpose gardening

The poppies in the garden are blooming. 

They reseed each year on their own...resilient even as they are fragile.

It heals something to find this combination.  

I'm letting a patch of red clover establish.  Mostly for the bees but it has other uses too according to my herbal books. 

It's salve making time. 

Comfrey and Yarrow. 

Calendula will be next. 

And lavender, lemon balm, marsh mallow and mint. 

 

 

Finished sweater...just in time for 80 F weather

Pattern: Less is More

Adjustments made:  I followed the directions for long sleeves but stopped just past my elbows.

Yarn: Aviary by Abundant Earth Fiber

Not blocked yet (washed and shaped). 

Thoughts:  Very easy pattern to follow and I will definitely make it again.  It was, in fact, a tester to see if I would make this sweater with hand spun yarn. 

It's one size larger than needed because I like roomy sweaters but it really is too big. This sweater will mostly be a "wear at home, to cuddle in sweater." Next sweater will be exactly to the measurement.  

One part of the bottom wants to flip a bit. It's probably because I forgot to switch to smaller needles for the edges, but next time maybe the edge needs to be a bit deeper?  And maybe this will go away when the sweater is blocked. 

As for the yarn, it's so very lovely.  At it's current price, it wouldn't be a good choice for a sweater for me again.  This isn't a complaint about the cost of the yarn but rather what is realistic for my lifestyle. The roving is very tempting though...

field notes #47

Food for thought:

"No one likes to lose, and most healthy people live their lives to win. The only variation is the score we use.  For some it's money, for others it's fame or awards.  For some it's power, love, a family or spiritual fulfillment.  The metric is relative, but the desire is the same."

Simon Sinek

 

Noticing more Swallowtail butterflies this year.

Wouldn't it be nice to keep score in raspberries, flower petals, butterflies, and chickadees?

I'm reading Simon Sinek's book Start with Why as a bit of a homework assignment. Thinking a lot about why.

P.S. I'm pretty sure if someone asked me to describe what clean smells like to me I'd say honeysuckle...

 

field notes #46

It's a jungle out there...

Heavy rain last night, sunny and breezy now. 

Added another layer of color to a cotton t-shirt I've been experimenting with.  Thinking a lot about field notes made visible in various ways. 

This time the fabric was soaked in almond milk first.  It was past it's pull date and I thought why not?

Plant material: onion skins, hazelnut leaves, rose leaves, and birch leaves. All from the garden except for the onion skins.  Bundled for about a week. 

I wasn't looking for leaf prints but enjoyed finding this one.

It's been through the wash and the color is holding well. 

Time to go back out to the garden...

homemade pudding and berry season

It's that time of year again....

field notes #45

A wool sweater? Yep...the weather has been indecisive.  Underneath I have a tank top and a gauze top. The pants are a not-as-successful-of-a-version as I'd like attempt of the pattern I've been trying to get right.  Good enough for at home though.  I'm going to try again tomorrow...it's supposed to rain so good day for sewing.

It is warm enough that the roses are blooming...

And there are now cucumbers and zucchini at the farmer's market. 

From the farmer's market: sugar snap peas, cucumber, radish, carrots, feta and the olives!  I was told the olives were from the family farm in Greece.  Because they have been "processed" locally they can be sold at the farmer's market.  They also had flavored olive oils for sale but couldn't sell their "plain" olive oil. 

The rest: Falafel, loosely using this recipe, sugar snap peas added & mint from the garden; buttermilk/olive oil dressing.  The buttermilk is also local and the garbanzo beans are grown in Washington. 

Wishing everyone a joyful meal!